Under The Sycamore Tree
by PowerColour
Summary: They meet as children, the become friends until they drifted apart. Now it's senior year and college is on the horizon. Rachel is a straight A honour student and Finn is more concerned about what the other popular kids think about him to care about school work. They are forced back into each other's lives and must readjust to each other after such a long time. Finn/Rachel AU.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N So, we're trying this again.. I haven't posted a story here for just under a year now. I originally wrote this story last year but never got around to finishing it.**

Under The Sycamore Tree

Chapter 1

15th of July 1999

It's sunset. It's the thing she loves most about the end of the day. The sun sits as low as it can in the evening sky. Looking up, she can see the dark blue of space but doesn't stop there, her eyes slowly moving down. Ever so slightly as to not miss any detail. Eventually reaching the horizon where she can see the bright pinks, oranges and reds that make up the rest of the sky surrounding the setting sun. The colours mix perfectly. Not a single flaw to be seen – as if it was the work of a master painter.

There is a the light breeze, strong enough to carry a delicate feather but soft enough to caress her skin as it passes over. She can hear the faint whispers of the wind as it passes over her exposed ears every now and then. Everything is peaceful.

This is Rachel Barbra Berry.

Picture a tree. It has a long, thick trunk that extended to the height of a two-storey building. It has branches and perfectly crisp, green leaves adorn them. If you took a step back from the tree, you would say that it looks like a mushroom. Half way down the tree a singular, thick branch erupts from the bark. As you inspect it, you find two coils of rope wrapped around it. They fell to an old plank of wood that had been painted white. The plank was tied between the two dangling pieces of rope to make a seat for a swing.

This evening like every other she sat on the swing attached to the tree at the bottom of her front lawn watching the sun go below the horizon and the light finally fade until the dark blue ruled the skies and the stars came out.

However, on this occasion as Rachel waited for the evening spectacle she was distracted by the distant humming sound of a car. This was unusual, especially at this time of night. With her curiosity peaked she leaned forward as to look around the tree and watch the car as it came around the bend. After what seemed like an age to the small child, the headlights appeared temporarily blinding her. By the time she'd regained full vision, the car had driven all the way down the street and stopped outside the house opposite her own. Rachel noticed the vehicle had a trailer attached with the logo for a self-removal service.

 _ **CLICK**_

The car door groaned as it was forced open to allow the driver of the car to step out. Once the driver was clear of the door they let it go and the door slammed shut, almost like it was happier closed. Rachel eyed the driver and noticed that it was a woman. She wasn't the tallest person alive but she wasn't too small either. The woman also had brown hair, much like Rachel's but shorter, stopping at her shoulders. Rachel continued to watch as this mysterious woman began to stretch her neck and shoulders before walking to the other side of the vehicle. She stopped at the rear passenger door and pulled the latch to open it.

 _ **CLICK**_

It opened slowly to reveal another figure. Rachel hadn't even noticed someone else inside the car.

"Come on hun, unbuckle your seat belt so we can go inside." The brunette stepped aside, allowing Rachel a better view of whom this woman was talking to.

It was a boy. Rachel guessed he was maybe no older than herself. She looked him over intensely, being very curious about the pair. The boy was probably the same height as her maybe a little bit taller. He was wearing a pair of old trainers that had obviously been well used, a pair of blue jeans with more obvious signs of wear and a red t-shirt with the logo for a football team she didn't know. He had a messy mop of darkish brown hair much like his mothers. She couldn't make out any facial features in the poor light. But she made a mental image of what he might look like in daylight.

As requested the boy stepped out of the vehicle allowing what Rachel presumed was his mother to shut the car door. They began walking towards the vacant property opposite her house. The house had been on the market for a few months after the previous owners decided they wanted to move somewhere new. She'd seen a 'For Sale' sign and wondered what her new neighbours would be like. As the pair reached the front door the woman produced a key and put it into the lock and with one flick of her wrist, the door was open. She took a step inside, turning on some lights as she went through the house. Before finally coming back to the front door where her son waited for her.

"We'll grab our suitcases now and then tomorrow morning we'll take everything out of the trailer and make this place our own, okay?" A simple nod was all she received.

Rachel was still perched on her seat and watched as the young boy finally turned around. The outdoor light illuminating his face for her. And that is when he noticed her sitting on the swing. Rachel had no idea what to do so she shyly waved the unknown face and after brief moment the gesture was returned with the same shyness.

"Come on Finn, let's go inside." With that he was ushered inside and the door closed shut.

That was Finn Christopher Hudson.

As soon as the door had closed the quiet suburban road was consumed by the darkness of the night.

Rachel shivered as she sat perched on her wooden swing so she elected to get up and go inside to wash up for bed. She walked up to the front door, clicked the latch and pushed the door open with ease before stepping over the threshold and into the house she called home, pushing the door closed on her way in to an audible click. She was instantly greeted by the warmth of the house as she removed her bright pink rain coat and placed neatly on the hook behind the door.

"Is that you Rachel? Come into the kitchen and give your daddy a kiss!". The voice of her father LeRoy filled the house as it mixed with the classical music softly playing in the background. "Ooo, are we're giving out kisses? I'll take one of those too princess." That was the voice of Rachel's other father Hiram. She loved her adoptive parents.

The small girl started walking forward, away from the door and into the living room where she was meet by her father Hiram sitting on the couch in front of the fireplace reading a book. Once he had noticed he presence he placed his book down and looked at her with an expectant expression.

"Well? What are you waiting for? I'm expecting kisses over here!". He held a serious face before dropping into a smile that made Rachel giggle uncontrollably. Without saying anything else he motioned for her to come towards him which she complied with. As she neared him he scooped her up into his lap which again caused her to giggle at her father.

"Who's my little bag of giggles tonight?". He said before he peppered the girls face with kisses. It was at that point that Rachel's other parent, LeRoy, entered the room. "Hey! No fair little missy, I asked for a kiss first!" And with that he jumped over the back of the sofa, next to his partner and child causing them both to jump up a little at the sudden action. This garnered yet another giggle fit before a missive smile entered the eight-year old's face.

"How was your sun set baby girl?" LeRoy asked as he placed his hand on top of her head and began to stroke in a soothing motion.

"It was really good Dad! The colours mixed perfectly – it was amazing." She gushed about the setting of the sun like it was the only thing in the world. Meanwhile, her parents listened with intent to their daughter.

"…Oh and the new neighbours moved in to the house across the road." Rachel casually dropped that piece of information. "It looks like a family. A woman and a boy." She looked up at her parents looking down at her with nothing but love in their eyes.

"A boy you say? Did you talk to him yet?" Hiram playfully teased his daughter. "NO!" Rachel screeched. "Boy are icky daddy." This caused both men to chuckle a little.

"Well, tomorrow we'll go over and welcome them to the neighbourhood... Berry style!" Hiram said to Rachel and LeRoy also nodded his head in agreement.

Looking down at his watch LeRoy noticed the time. "Well, it's the time Rachel." She looked up at her father with her biggest puppy eyes "That's not going to work darling, It's time for bed." A little defeated Rachel give a huff before she rolled her eyes back. "Fine…" she said as she got up from her father's lap.

Rachel give them both a kiss goodnight before heading up the stairs and into her bedroom.

The next day the whole Berry clan were on their way over to their new neighbour's house.

"Why do I have to come?" Rachel moaned as she tugged on Hiram's hand to get his attention. "Because it's polite to welcome a new neighbour into the community baby. Don't forget our core family values! Honesty, respect and da-" he was interrupted by Rachel as she finished his sentence for him. "Dance. Yes, I know daddy but-" this time she was interrupted by LeRoy. "No buts Rachel, we're going to say hello and that's final." She huffed out very dramatically before mumbling under her breath. " _Fine."_

They arrived at the door and knocked. A few moments later the door swung open to reveal a middle aged woman. LeRoy spoke up "Hello we're the Berry's! We live across the street from you." He gestured towards their home before continuing. "I'm LeRoy, this is my husband Hiram and this is our beautiful daughter Rachel." The woman smiled at the family as Hiram continued for LeRoy. "We hope you don't mind but we've come over to say hello and welcome you to the neighbourhood." Resting on the door frame the woman replied. "It's no bother at all! I'm glad to meet you all. I'm Carol Hudson and somewhere outback is Finn, my son." Carol step clear of the door and gestured into the house. "Would you like to come in? I just made some coffee. I'd love to ask you guys some questions about schools and such." Hiram and LeRoy smiled and nodded at the kind offer from Carol. "We'd love too!" said Hiram.

They stepped inside the empty house, moving towards the kitchen. "You'll have to excuse the mess, we're still un packing. Please, take a seat." She pointed to the stools at the kitchen counter. "Excuse me for just one minute, I'll just get Finn out the back yard." And with that she opened up the sliding back door which lead out in to the back yard. "Finn! Will you come down from there? We have visitors." There was a short pause in the conversation. Rachel could hear what was being said but could guess at the woman's reply. "Because I asked you to." A few seconds later a young boy entered the kitchen, the same boy Rachel saw last night. She gave him a small smile but he must not have remembered her because he just looked at her like she was an alien, causing the smile to quickly drop from her face.

"Finn, these nice people are the Berry family." She pointed at each individual and informed him of their names. "… And this is Rachel." She didn't smile this time, in fact she just plain avoided eye contact. "Why don't you take Rachel out back and show her your tree house honey?" Finn looked up at his mother with disgust in his eyes. "But mom... she's a girl! There are no girls allowed in my tree house!" This caused all of the adults to laugh. "Finnegan Christopher Hudson, don't be so silly." She opened the sliding door and ushered them out. "Go on now… be nice." And just like that Rachel and Finn were on their own.

"Ugh! Follow me." Finn began walking with Rachel in tow. He suddenly stopped causing Rachel to bump into him. He turned around to speak to her. "Don't touch anything, okay?" He looked to her for a sign of acknowledgement. Rachel just nodded. They continued walking up to a small tree with a wooden construction perched on top. He climbed the few steps up to the tree house and turned back to look at Rachel. "Well… come on then!" Rachel stuttered into gear and walked up to the wooden ladder to climb it. She was about three steps up when she froze. "Hey, come on. What's wrong? You scared of heights or something?" She clutched onto the ladder with all her strength. "Yes." she mumbled. Finn laughed for a moment before he realised she was genuinely scared. "Oh come on! It's not even that tall." He leaned down and offered her his hand to help her. "Take me hand already will you!" She grabbed onto this hand and looked up at him. The sun was shining into her eyes so she could she much. All she could see was a Finn's outline as she felt him start to pull her towards him. With his help her legs started to move again and she climbed the final two steps. When she was able at the top she was able to see his features much clearer than should could have the night before. She looked into his eye for a second before noticing that they were still holding hands. She looked down at their hands which caused Finn to drops hers. "There… easy!" Finn said with an awkward tone. Rachel rolled her eyes at him before looking around the tree house. It was just as bare as the house. Finn sat down on a small log that had been turned into a stool. Not sure what to do Rachel put her hand out in front of her for Finn to shake but she extended her arm to far and end up hitting him in the face. "I'm Rach- Oh my goodness… I'm so sorry." Her face turned bright red. Finn clutched his forehead. "Ow! Why did you do that?" he looked up at her with an accusatory facial expression. "I-I didn't me-mean too hit you… I'm sorry!" Rachel looked down at the floor while speaking, fiddling with her thumbs.

"Rachel, come here baby. We're leaving now!" Rachel looked back at her parents and then at Finn. "I'm sorry Finn, I have to go. I'm sorry I hit your head." And with that she retreated from the tree house and back into the house where her parents were waiting for her.

 **A/N Okay so... I hope you guys liked this first chapter. If you guys give me a positive feel for this story I'll post the next chapter in a few day as I already have the next 4 chapters finished.**

 **If you spot any mistakes i.e. spelling, grammar ect. (Colour is the correct spelling, just want to put that out there too.)**

 **Please review this story and let me know what you think and whether or not it's worth carrying on with.**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N So, here is chapter two and promised! Thanks for the kind reviews you guys left me, it's a nice thing to wake up to. Just an FYI, you'll probably get these stories every weekend as that's when I plan to post them.**

* * *

 **Under The Sycamore Tree**

 **Chapter 2**

 **August 23** **rd** **2011**

Rachel was sat on her bed with her laptop on her lap and various books and sheets of paper all over her bed as she tackled the last of her summer home work. She had her earphones plugged into her laptop listening to a playlist of the charts. Glancing over to her clock on the nightstand she noticed it was late and elected it was a good idea to finish up this last paragraph on her essay before getting ready for bed.

She removed her laptop from her lap and placed in on the foot of her bed before having a full stretch. After a few minutes she allowed her muscles to relax and released a deep sigh. Pushing herself from the bed Rachel headed towards her bathroom, but not before reaching over to her nightstand once more this time to recover her phone.

Upon reaching the bathroom she pushed the door closed behind her listening for the audible click the lock makes when in place.

 _ **CLICK.**_

Satisfied the door was closed, she headed over to the shower, turning it on with one swift motion. After a few seconds the water began to flow freely crashing on to the shower floor.

She started to remove her clothes, placing each item into her clothes hamper to be washed later in the week.

After a few moments the small room began to fill with steam indicating the water temperature was warm enough for Rachel to get in, so she did. Slowly edging beneath the fast stream of water, she allowed herself to acclimatise to the temperature. Once fully engulfed in the water she reached for the body gel, applying a healthy amount into her palm before flipping the lid shut and allowing the bottle to fall to the floor. Taking her palm to her neck she began to rub the gel into her skin in massaging motion causing her eyes to shut at the sensation.

After ten minutes of just enjoying the water cascading down her skin, she turned off the shower and stepped out in the steam filled room. Grabbing a towel, she dried herself off and reached for her pyjamas, putting them on with ease.

Rachel grabbed her phone and unlocked her bathroom door, opening the door into her dimly lit bedroom.

 _ **DING**_

As she was moving back into her room, Rachel felt her phone vibrate in her hand. Looking down at the notification screen she saw it was a text from Hiram wishing her a good night's sleep. She smiled at her father's thoughtfulness. She typing him a quick message back thanking him and wishing the same.

Placing her phone down on the nightstand and plugging in the charger, she noticed she's left her laptop and books on her bed. She gathered them all together and placed them on the floor next to her head before slipping into her bed. Reaching over, she flicked the switch on her lamp causing the room to fall into darkness with the only exception being the faint light from the street.

 _ **CRASH**_

Rachel bolted upright at the loud sound. She frantically looked around, looking for any indication where the sound had come from.

"Oh shit!" The faint voice of someone outside could be heard. Rachel got up to investigate, heading towards her window. She pulled open the curtain to see the house opposite to hers had all the lights on and people standing around outside. Her eyes were then drawn to her front lawn to see a small group of people standing around her tree swing and laughing.

She was enraged. This group of teens had broken her tree swing.

"HEY!" Rachel banged against the window to attract their attention. This caused the group to break apart and head back to the house across the road.

"Damn you Hudson!" Rachel muttered to herself as she left the window, heading downstairs. She put on a pair of slippers when she reached the front door. Pulling the door open she angrily walked over to the Hudson residence across from hers.

She pushed herself through the sea of drunken teens until she'd made it to the front door. She pushed it slightly to find that it was unlocked. Pushing it all the way open, she found yet more drunken teenagers everywhere she turned.

Being 'vertically challenged' as Rachel liked to say, she couldn't see anything or anyone. She made a move for the stairs to get a higher vantage point. Upon reaching the base of the stairs she was stopped by someone's hand slapping her ass. She let out a small gasp.

"H-hey pretty la-lady. How you-". The voice was cut off as Rachel turned around, landing an opened handed slap across the face of her attacker.

"Ow! What the hell?" Rachel crossed her arms as she looked at the dazed man. _Puckerman._

"Damn it Berry, what the hell was that for?" He placed a hand on his cheek where a red mark was beginning to form.

"Can it Noah, where is Hudson? He is in serious trouble right now."

"He's in his room but he's got company so I wouldn't-" Rachel didn't give him a chance to finish as she stormed towards the basement of the building. Once she arrived at the door leading down to Finn's room she placed her hand on the door but hesitated for a moment.

Rachel and Finn hadn't seen or spoken to each other since they were kids. He memory rushed back to the last thing she remembered saying to him.

" _I hate you Finn Hudson! I never want to see you again!"_

She shook her head, clearing her mind of the memory before throwing the door open.

"Hey! Whoever that is, get lost! This room is off limits!" She heard a familiar voice yelling up towards her. There was a momentary pause before she heard the voice again. "Are you stupid or something? Get outta here and close the damn door!" Rachel began to storm down the stairs.

"Damn you Hudson! Your friends just broke my tree swing and I'm fairly certain that if I go back up there I'll find puke all over my lawn too!" By the time she had finished her rant, she was at the bottom of the stairs looking into the darkness.

"Rach? Rachel Berry? Is that you?" The voice was much softer this time.

"You know this girl Finn?" Rachel heard a female voice coming from the bed.

Rachel heard a rusting as a tall figure emerged from the darkness of the room. Finn Hudson stood in front of her in just a pair of jeans and socks. She was initially taken away by his shirtless figure as she stared at his abs.

"Rachel, what are you doing in my bedroom?" His voice broke her gaze as she moved her eyes up towards his. He had a look of confliction on his face.

Another figure emerged from the darkness. It was the figure of a petite blonde girl. When she had arrived next to Finn, she wrapped an arm around his waist and placed a hand on his chest in a possessive way. The girl looked over at Rachel with an innocent smile, causing Rachel to look down in an attempt to avoid her gaze.

"Baby? Who is this… girl? And why is she in your room?" The blonde spat in a venomous tone.

Before Finn had a chance to answer the blonde, Rachel interrupted.

"Umm… I'm sorry Finn. It doesn't matter I can fix it myself. I'm sorry I interrupted. Happy Birthday though." And with that Rachel made a dash for the stairs.

"Hey Rachel, wait up a second!" Nearing the top of the stairs, she felt a second pair of feet coming up the stairs behind hers. She didn't look back once she had reached the top of the stairs.

"Rachel! Will you please just wait there?" She heard the pleading tone in his voice but decided it was best to just try and get out of the house and head to safety of her own home.

Pushing through the sea of people, she'd just made it to the front door when she felt a soft but firm grip on her hand. The sudden contact startled her a little. She turned he head to see who was holding on to her, only to see Finn's face.

"Rachel! Jesus! Slow down already will you? Why are you running away?" He gently pulled her towards him as he waited for an answer.

"I'm not running." Rachel quietly mumbled, still avoiding eye contact with him. She felt herself being moved closer towards him. She tried to resist, but in doing so she looked up at his face and made eye contact. The two of them shared a moment as they were lost in each other's eyes.

"Yo! Finn, this party is dope my man!" Finn looked away for a brief second, distracted by his name being called. When he turned back, Rachel was gone. He looked up just in time to see her standing at her door way as she closed the door.

The next day Rachel was awoken by the sound of her daily alarm. She groaned at the abrupt sound cutting through the morning silence.

She picked up her phone to silence the alarm, glancing at the notification on the screen as she did so. A few spam emails, a Facebook notification and a text from an unknown number.

 _ **Hey Rach, it's Finn. I hope this is still your number… Anyway, call me when you get this?**_

She sat upright as she reread the message a few time to make sure she'd read it properly. Rachel thought about calling the number but decided against it. Instead, she put her phone back on charge and got up from the bed. Once she was up and had stretched a few times, Rachel headed towards the door and the downstairs.

Upon reaching the bottom of the stairs, Rachel had a quick glance out of one of the windows that surrounded her door. Looking down towards the large tree just outside, she recalled the events of the previous night and frowned to herself.

With the frown still plastered on her face, she made a move to the kitchen to pour herself some cereal. Once she had a bowl and spoon, she took a seat at the kitchen bar a began to eat.

 _ **KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK**_

Rachel momentarily froze as she registered the sound of someone knocking at the front door. Leaning back slightly, Rachel was able to see into the hallway and view the door.

 _ **KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK**_

Rachel was about to go to the door when she saw a head leaning around the door and looking through the glass. It was Finn. Rachel immediately swung forward on her chair, attempting to not be seen.

"Rachel? I know you're in there… I just saw you." She closed her eyes and mentally cursed herself. "Rach, can you open the door?" Sensing she had no choice, Rachel forced herself up from the bar stool and began to head towards the door.

"Finally! Thank you." She heard him mutter before ducking his head back behind the door.

Rachel opened the door a small amount, just enough so that her face was visible but not enough that it looked like she was inviting him in. That was the last thing she wanted.

"What do you want Finn? I'm trying to eat my breakfast in peace." She stated in a blunt tone. Looking up at his face as she spoke she spotted a small smile beginning to form in the corner of his mouth. His hazel brown eyes, still as conflicted as the night before.

"Well, just before you made a world record attempt at the two hundred metre sprint…" He paused for a moment, examining her stone faced expression before continuing. "You mentioned something about your swing being broken?" Rachel gave a slight nod but still kept a blank expression, not wanting to give anything away. Finn broke out into a full on smile, dimples 'n all.

"Okay… Well, I had a quick look before I came up here and-" Finn was interrupted by Rachel. "You've been snooping on my lawn?" She raised an eyebrow in an accusatorial manner. Finn just rolled his eyes and continued with what he was saying. "No. I was going to say that I had a look and it should be an easy fix." Rachel narrowed her eyes a little, still not sure where this was going.

"… So, I'll head over to the hardware store now and get the supplies to fix it?" Finn said in a questioning tone, as he seeked a response from her. He continued to her face as she weighed up her options.

"It's fine Finn, honestly. I'll fix it myself." And with that she began to push the door closed, but before she could close it all the way, Finn put his foot in the way.

"Rachel, for goodness sakes! I know we're not exactly 'friends' anymore-" Rachel opened the door a little wider this time. "And whose fault is that exactly?" Rachel crossed her arms over her chest as she watched a small flicker of shame enter Finn's face.

"I know I messed up Rach but that was like 10 years ago! You can't _still_ be mad at me for _that_?" Rachel narrowed her eyes once again as a look of distain crept onto her face. She tried to close the door on him but once again, he stopped her from doing so.

"Wait! I didn't come over here to talk about _that_ … I came over to tell you that I was going to fix your swing, whether you'd like me to or not." Finn slowly turned away from her as he began to walk back down the path from whence he came. Just before he reached the bottom of the path, Finn turned slightly and smiled. "I like the pjs Rach, making reindeer look cool." He turned back towards the street and continued walking.

Rachel ducked her head a little and blushed a little at the comment, watching him walk all the way up to his truck. She hated that fact that his words had any impact on her because she was trying so hard to be mad at him. She continued to watch as he got in the truck and gently pulled away, heading in the direction of the town. Once he was out of sight, she pushed the door closed. More memories that she had been suppressing for years began to surface to the forefront of her thoughts. It had been such a long time since they had spoken but Finn was acting like nothing had ever happened. Maybe that was for the best.

Deciding not to dwell on the past any longer, Rachel moved back towards the kitchen to finish her breakfast.

About an hour later, Rachel was sitting in her room after having taken a shower and gotten dressed for the day. She was hard at work on her history essay about the rise and fall of Nazi German when she noticed high pitched whine of a power tool. It only lasted for a few seconds before it abruptly stopped. Rachel waited a moment to see if it would start again. When it didn't, she continued with her assay. A few moments later the same sound could be heard.

Rachel put her laptop to one side and got up from the bed, moving herself towards the window to see what was going on outside. See spotted across the road Finn standing in his drive way with a bench saw cutting up a plank of wood. Rachel had taken a few woodwork classes for extra credit the previous year so she knew what he was doing as he removed the plank from the table and began to sand it down along the edges by hand.

Rachel removed her phone from her pocket, unlocking it with ease. She opened the messaging app and moved to the last message she'd received from Finn. She started to type a message to him.

 _ **I hope you're going to belt sand that… I don't want any splinters.**_

It took a minute before the messaged reached his phone but once it did, he stopped what he was doing to check his phone. He was slightly confused for a moment before he swung around to look at Rachel standing at her window. He gave her a small wave before picking up his phone to reply. Rachel's phone buzzed in her hand.

 _ **Well, why don't you come down here and inspect it for yourself? I'm sure you can tell me where I'm going wrong.**_

She looked down at Finn who had gone back to work on the plank and thought about going down there to apologies for being frosty earlier on, when she thought better of it. She had a legitimate reason to be angry with him, even after all this time.

Instead, she put her phone down and went back to work on the assay she had abandoned.

A while later, her phone buzzed once again.

 _ **Okay so, your swing is all fixed so you should totally come out and give it a go before it gets dark. Also, I think we should probably have a talk… you know? Catch up on everything since we haven't actually spoken for a while. How's dinner at my place tonight? We can order anything you want?**_

Rachel sighed after reading the message. She was grateful that Finn had fixed the swing for her but, she wasn't sure if she was ready to talk to him yet. Before she could get too caught up in her own thoughts she got another text.

 _ **Nothing serious! Just a casual meal… not like a date or anything like that!**_

A date? The thought hadn't even crossed Rachel's mind. This time it was her that was conflicted. On the one hand she was relieved, on the other she was a little mad that he'd even mentioned it in the first place. She picked up her phone and typed out a response.

 _ **Fine. But you're paying.**_

After a moment the reply came in.

 _ **Okay, I'll be ordering at 6 so don't be late or you'll just have to watch me eat.**_

Rachel placed her phone down next to her and thought about how the events of tonight could unfold. She saw two paths. One lead to a possible friendship after they'd cleared the air, while the other lead to another ten years of silence after which they probably wouldn't see each other again. She thought it was probably fifty fifty. But she was willing to roll the dice and see where they landed.

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 **A/N So, that's the end of chapter two! I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter and that it was worth the wait.**

 **Please review this chapter to let me know what you thought of it.**

 **FYI, I'm looking for a beta reader to help me out with this story so if you're interested, drop me a pm.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Under The Sycamore Tree**

 **Chapter 3**

The sun was beginning to set over Ohio as Rachel stood before her wardrobe pondering what 'casual' meant in the context and pretence of tonight and how to dress for it. She wasn't going to pull out the tiny red dress that hugged her figure in all the right places, but she couldn't go in her current attire either. Her long, soft brunette hair confined within a towel balancing precariously on her head, an old grey hoodie, some brightly coloured yoga pants and a pair of fluffy pink thermal socks.

"Oh God!" Rachel exclaimed. "This was such a bad idea! Why did I agree to do this?" She asked herself upon looking back at the pile of clothes on her bed that had been rejected as suitable for whatever this was. Finn had insisted that it wasn't a date so she couldn't understand why she was so nervous to go over there and talk to him? She had legitimate reasons for being so angry after all! Except she couldn't remember them. It was so clear to her before, but now if pressed to give a reason, she wouldn't able to answer the question without sounding pathetically petty.

Rachel released a breath of frustration as she moved towards the foot of her bed, seeking refuge from her thoughts.

So much time had passed since their fight, but Rachel still saw Finn now and then, on account of them still living opposite each other, and other than the usual pleasantries, they didn't speak to each other. By all accounts, they lived two very different lives. Rachel had dreams and aspirations beyond Lima, hell even beyond Ohio. As for Finn, she had no idea what his hopes and dreams were, not that she was desperate to know either.

With her forehead firmly planted into the palm of her hands, Rachel began contemplating if talking to Finn would accomplish anything.

Allowing herself to think out the possible scenarios, her mind went into overdrive as she started overthinking the smallest detail.

Before her thoughts could give her a headache, Rachel was drawn away from her thoughts at the sudden sound of vibrations on a solid surface. Moving towards the noise emanating from on her desk, she took a moment to look out onto the street below. Gazing up towards the Heavens, Rachel was held in a temporary suspense as she was mesmerised by the night's sky. A mixture of orange, yellow, pink and blue seamlessly blended into one another like a masterpiece you would find hanging on the wall of an art museum. Her trance was once again broken by the persistent vibrations coming from within the chaos of homework and sheet music sprawled over her desk. Shifting through the papers, Rachel was able to locate and retrieve her phone just in time to answer the video call before it was too late. Acting quickly to accept, she had a quick glance at the screen to find out who was calling her. _Loretta Steinholm_. A smile immediately posted onto Rachel's face at the sight of the name.

Loretta Steinholm, or Lottie as she insisted her friends call her, was Rachel's best friend of a decade. They met during a performing arts summer camp when they were eight years old and have actively been a part of each other's lives ever since, something that Rachel was incredibly grateful for. Lottie wasn't a native to America if fact she was born and raised in London, and her family name was connected to English Royalty. However, she didn't like to talk about that because once people knew, they treated her differently and all she longed for was a sense of normality. Rachel understood this completely and would never mention it unless Lottie had brought it up first.

"Rachel!" a chirpy voice greeted her ears as her friend began to speak. "Oh my gosh, I've been trying to get a hold of you for days! Where have you been? How are you? What's the latest twist in the extraordinary tale of Rachel Barbra Berry and her quest for Broadway stardom?"

Taken aback by the influx of questions, Rachel took a moment to process and formulate a response, also noticing that she had no picture on her screen.

"Hey, Lottie! I'm doing fine, but I can't see you on my screen."

"Oh sorry! I forgot to turn on my camera." Suddenly, a cheery face appeared to match the chirpy voice. As Rachel looked down at her screen, she took in her friend's features admiring her long, frizzy Auburn hair pulled away from her face by a ponytail. A pair of thick, black-framed glasses perched atop of her nose, marring the freckles that graced her nose and cheeks. "Ah, that's better. Anyway, how are you darling?" Lottie put on her best 'posh' accent for the last word, making both girls burst into laughter.

"It's been too long since you last called me Lottie! What's going on with that huh?" Rachel asked with a mock tone of disappointment.

"I've been all over the place Rach! Besides, I called you like a week ago!" Again, both girls laughed as they began to slip into comfortable conversation. "But seriously Rach, I had to go back to London, and it was awful." Lottie nudged her glasses off her face and onto the top of her head so she could place a hand on her face to convey her disdain.

"Oh no! What for? I thought you were free for the summer?" Rachel asked sympathetically, knowing that Lottie hated going back to the house where she was raised.

"Oh, you know, the usual! A fundraiser here, a party there and a dinner with mandatory attendance but that's not even the half of it! I was _ambushed_ , Rachel." Readjusting her glasses back onto her end of her nose, Lottie continued. "My mother is trying to play matchmaker and she is terrible at it."

"Oh, you're so dramatic, Lottie. It can't have been that bad, surely?" Rachel asked in response.

"Okay, maybe I was being a little dramatic but it really was bad. The guy she introduced to me was nice but that was it. He was just so average… just so _dull_. I mean, don't get me wrong, he was hot and he's got money and that blah, blah, blah stuff but nothing about him as a person excited me." Lottie let out a small sigh before appearing to squint.

"What are you doing?" Rachel asked slightly bemused.

"Are you trying to build a scale replica of Mount Everest back there?" The Auburn haired girl asked while motioning past Rachel's shoulder to the large pile of clothes on her bed.

Having been distracted by Lottie's stories, Rachel was momentarily confused as she looked behind her. Upon seeing the aforementioned mound, she rolled her eyes and let out a groan of frustration before she looked back towards her friend to explain.

"I saw Finn last night." Rachel watched as her friend's facial expression changed from one of concern to excitement in a blink of an eye.

"The one and onlyFinn Hudson? The man, the myth, the legend himself? The man we love to hate?" Lottie's mouth curled up on one side as she attempted to stifle the smile breaking out onto her face.

Over the years Rachel casually mentioned Finn a few times but never went into much detail when Lottie asked who he was.

"Yes Lottie, the _legendary_ Finn Hudson." Rachel replied in a sarcastic tone, rolling her eyes as she did, displaying that she was not impressed with her friends teasing remarks.

"Ah!" Moving closer to her screen, Lottie pushed her glasses further up her nose as she did. "Remind me, why is it we _hate_ Hudson so much again?"

"Ugh! Because he's an ass, among _many_ other things."

"Right, yeah, I got that bit. Just wondering what it is he did to gain the wrath of Rachel Barbra Berry, soon to be Broadway's hottest new talent? You know, so the rest of us mere mortals don't make the same mistakes."

"I thought we were friends but I guessed wrong. I don't really want to talk about it Lottie okay? He's an ass, end of story."

"Okay Rach." Deciding to drop this line of questioning, Lottie moved on to why he'd even been brought up. Usually, when the girls discussed Finn Hudson, he's done something that had spited Rachel in someone way, intentional or not. "What did he do this time?" She paused for a moment. "Your hair is wet… did you get slushied again?"

"No! I didn't get slushied, or anything like that. I was just in the shower." She reassured her friend. "No, he had a party last night and some of his extremely drunk guests trashed my tree swing," A small pout appeared on her face at the recollection of the broken seat the night prior. _"Anyway,"_ She said snapping herself back into the conversation. _"_ He asked me to come over tonight for dinner and to talk but honestly, I don't know if I even want to go." Lottie was about to speak when Rachel cut her off. "Now hang on! Before you get all excited, It is _not_ a date or anything like that." Rachel watched slightly bemused as Lottie removed her glasses completely and positioned her arm in a manner that allowed her to rest her chin on top of her fist.

"Okay, firstly, you have to go, that isn't even up for debate," Lottie said with a firm tone of finality in her voice as she waved her other hand holding her glasses, gesturing that more was to come. "And secondly, it's not a date but you're getting all dressed up to go over to his house for dinner and a 'chat'? I don't buy what you're selling over there Berry."

Rachel sighed and resigned herself to thought for a moment. Was this meant to be a date? If so, why after all this time? She continued to think about her recent encounters with Finn until she remembered a crucial piece of information.

Quinn Fabray, the blonde bombshell and head cheerleader for the Cheerios, who just last night, was wrapped up with Finn in his bed.

Rachel, for the most part, flew under the social radar at McKinley High School which meant that she had little to no interactions with the cheerleader. That is until she'd walked into Finn's room to find the pair of them in the dark. The 'relationship' between Finn and Quinn was very bizarre from the outside looking in. They were constantly on and off again but when they were together, they were the ultimate power couple ruling over the school's social ladder. However, it appeared to be Quinn who cherished this aspect of the relationship most with Finn preferring to hang out with his actual friends rather than throwing these huge parties he'd become known for, barely knowing a hand full of the people who would turn up.

"It can't be a date, Lottie! This is the first substantial interaction we've had in _years_! And I think he's with Quinn Fabray so that's, that." Rachel nodded as she finished her sentence. Almost as though trying to reassure herself that what she'd said was truthful.

" _Okay_ … For argument's sake then, it's _not_ a date." Rachel nodded as she listened to her friend. "But you're going over to his house in the late hours to do what?" Still watching the screen, she observed as Lottie used raised her hands to utilize her fingers for air quoting what she was saying next. "Just to _talk?_ I don't think so Rachel." Resting her arms on her chest, Lottie waited for a reply from Rachel, satisfied she had made her point.

"It's _not_ a _date._ " Rachel stared down her friend through the device.

"Okay, okay! You can put the daggers away!" Lottie conceded to her friend, realising that she was in no mood to debate the matter any further. "I'll leave you to it and call you later after your 'non-date' with the absolute dreamboat, Finn Hudson. Bye, Rach!" Before Rachel could even utter a response, the phone when black indicating the connection had been severed. A moment passed before realising her friend had hung up on her to have the last word. Rachel merely rolled her eyes and shook her head as a small smile began to form on her face following the conversation.

Before Rachel put her phone down to continue getting ready, she decided she would play some music to help her relax. Opening the app, she immediately turned on the shuffle feature. The room was flooded with a jazzy beat that no one could resist and before she knew it, Rachel was on her feet dancing to the captivating tune. As she danced, the anxiety dissipated with each hop to the beat as she put her thoughts and problems on the backburner, instead choosing to focus on the music.

As the song came to an ending, Rachel was feeling much better as she left all her negative thoughts behind. Removing the towel, which had mostly given up trying to stay on her head, she moved towards the bathroom to dry her hair. Emerging a few moments later with dry hair, Rachel pulled at one of the black hair bands wrapped around her wrist, and in one slick motion had her hair behind her in a neat ponytail.

"Okay Hudson, you want casual?" She stated to herself aloud. "I can do casual."

Picking out a pair of faded blue skinny jeans and a cream V-neck t-shirt that hinted at what was below without giving up the prize. Lastly, a pair of white flats to complete the look. Rachel was all but ready to head across the road. A small grumble from her stomach also indicated that she was ready to eat.

Grabbing her phone, keys and purse, she headed down the stairs towards the front door. She swung the door open and took in the last of the evening before darkness would descend upon them and the street lamps dotted along the road would instead light the street artificially.

Stepping into the breach, she pulled the door closed behind her as she travelled forward, moving down the stone path leading to the street, she took a moment to observe the new setup over at her swinging tree. In the place of the old wooden plank was an elaborate amalgamation of freshly painted white planks. Gazing upon the aesthetically pleasing object, Rachel was genuinely pleased with the work her neighbour had done. A small and brief smile graced her face, soon dissipating as she had made it to the large rectangular black door, the numbers _5532_ engraved on to placard attached to the door. Reaching out, she places a hand around the large metal knocker.

 _ **KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK.**_

Delivering three blows to the door that she was sure would be heard, Rachel patiently waited for an answer. A few moments passed and nothing happened.

Moving her arm, she looked down to her right wrist, at the stylish black watched strapped to it and saw that it read 18:03. A perplexed look took over her facial features

" _I'm only a few minutes late, surely he's in there!"_ Rachel thought to herself.

Looking around, she spotted his truck, a beat-up, old pickup truck sitting on the driveway in front of the garage. A few bumps and dings adorned the truck in various places, telling its story of use over the years. The paint nowhere near as bright as it once was, being faded by the harsh sun over the years.

Turn her attention back to the house she grabbed the knocker again and pounded the door once more.

 _ **KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK.**_

Waiting once more, still, nothing came.

A sense of fury came over her as she waited at the door she was invited to. Had he really stood her up? Was this all just a joke?

With a sudden sense of insecurity about her situation, Rachel turned on her heel and made it two paces away from the door when her senses were assaulted by the smell of meat cooking and a sound she couldn't put her finger on.

Stopped in her tracks, she turned around and began to cautiously move back towards the door. Straining to hear, Rachel deducted that it was coming from the backyard. Stepping to the left of the house, she came across a wooden gate. Giving it a light push, the gate swung open without a fight. Moving forward the sound became clearer… singing. Someone was singing in the backyard and it only made her more curious.

Rounding the corner of the house to the yard, Rachel was taken aback by the sight in front of her.

Finn Hudson was stood at a grill, headphones on dancing and singing away to what sounded a lot like the 'In the Navy' by the Village People.

A small giggle escaped her lips before her hands rushed to her mouth to silence any further outbursts. Watching him closely, she observed as he danced, clearly unaware of her presence. Mostly moving his upper body, she could tell he was deeply embedded into the beat.

"They. Want. You! They. Want. You! In the Navy!" His voice went lower than it already was for the last part. Obviously, on the chorus, he continued to repeat this. Taken away by the music, he turned around with a spatula in hand.

"They. Want. You!" Waving the spatula around, he continued. "They. Want. You!-" Suddenly he stopped, eyes wide he quickly removed the headphones from his head and spoke. "-Are here! In my backyard… and you've just seen me dance." His face began to redden. "How long were you there?" he asked sheepishly, flashing her an awkward grin.

Rachel was struggling to wipe the smile from her face. With one leg in front of the other and her hands placed behind her back, she studied his facial expression, sensing he was genuinely embarrassed that she'd seen that.

"Oh," she began, revelling in his pain. "Long enough." She playfully teased. "Sweet moves by the way!" Sending him a full-toothed smile and a wink.

She watched as he placed his hand over his face to try to cover his own embarrassment.

"Well," He began as he wiped his hand down his face, moving towards the back of his neck. "That was embarrassing! If you tell anyone, I'll have to deny your existence." He joked, letting out a small chuckle, as half smile briefly flashed across his face.

An awkward silence fell over them. Not sure what to do with herself, Rachel began nervously playing with her fingers behind her back while inspecting the ground. Sensing the awkwardness, Finn spoke up.

Clearing his throat before speaking, he began. "Uh," he stammered, causing her to look up towards him. Studying his face, she thought she saw a hint of nervousness. _Why is_ _ **he**_ _so nervous? This was his idea!_ She thought to herself. Finally composing himself, he continued. "Why don't you take a seat Rach?" Arching a brow in his direction, Rachel felt a shiver down her spine at the casual use of his old nickname for her. "I know I promised takeout but it's such a beautiful night, I thought it might be nice to fire up the grill and put some burgers on." Pausing for a moment, he looked towards her with a look that could only be described as pure panic. "Are you still a vegan?"

"Oh no! I dropped that ages ago! I'll die for a good piece of bacon." She stated as her face turned into a small smile as his expression changed to that of relief.

"Thank Grilled Cheesus! I thought I'd royally stuffed up and was about to give a beef burger to a vegan!" The pair shared a moment of laughter at the thought. Remembering back to their childhood days when Finn had come running over to Rachel's house with a grilled cheese sandwich.

" _Rachel! Look! It's Jesus on my grilled cheese! It's… Cheesus!" Finn proudly proclaimed._

Snapped back into the moment by Finn's voice, Rachel listens to him as he tended to the grill.

"You're looking really good Rach." She felt a warmth with her cheeks as a small smile crept onto her face. "Totally rocking the casual vibe." He added turning back to the grill.

"Thank you, Finn." She paused, biting her lip before continuing. "You don't look so bad yourself…" Immediately looking down to her shoes, she didn't look to see if he had any reaction.

After a brief moment, a plate appeared in front of her. The big fluffy bun hiding away the juicy meat within.

"Ketchup?" He asked, causing her to refocus her attention. She simply nodded as he reached over towards her, bottle in hand. Doing the same, she met him halfway. During the transfer of the bottle from his hands to her own, they made contact, lightly grazing their fingers against one another. The brief contact was enough to cause a static charge between the two.

Flinching away from the contact, the two locked eyes. Staring deep into his hazel eyes, Rachel began to feel a strange and foreign feeling build within her. He was also trying to read her face, to see if he could deceiver any emotions she was feeling. Continuing with her examination, she took in his face. Obviously, it looked nothing like the young boy she remembers, having not been this close to him in several years. His face, cleanly shaven, still had a darker patch where there had been hair before. He had some dark circles under his eyes, figuring it was probably all the late night parties, she didn't think any more of it.

After what felt like several hours of holding his gaze, with was in fact only a second or so, she broke the contact, choosing to instead look at her hands to avoid the intrusive gaze of the man before her.

Letting out another cough, Finn attempted to clear the air that had now turned decidedly awkward and uncomfortable. But, before he could speak, Rachel interrupted him.

"Why am I here Finn? Why after all this time did you reach out to me? I feel like this is some cruel prank and someone is going to jump out of a bush with a bucket of slime or something and drench me." Crossing her arms over her chest to emphasise the point, she observed his face fall slightly. He looked slightly wounded by her words.

"There is no one the bushes Rachel. I'm sorry that you think so low of me." He sat back in the wooden deck chair, with a look that had a hint of sadness to it.

Feeling regretful for a moment, she recalled a time that he had been involved in one of the many high school slushie incidents she was subjected to.

The regret no longer present in her system, she decided that since she was here and may not be in this situation again, she would give him both barrels.

"It's not as if it would be the first time though, would it?" Arms still crossed, she raised a brow in his direction.

Sensing a shift in his demeanour, he became slightly defensive. Watching as his shift in his chair, no doubt formulating a response to her accusation.

"Hold on for a second there Rachel," She noticed that he had dropped the nickname, instead referring to her by her full name. After having been initially caught off guard by it, she was now missing it and the sense of familiarity that came attached to it. "It's not like I ever threw a slushie towards you is it?" He was now mimicking her posture, firing back towards her.

"No, I'll admit that you've never personally throw anything at me and for that, I'll thank you." A triumphant look appeared on his face until she continued her utterings. "However, you haven't exactly been my knight in shining armour and prevented it in the first place." She said, with a find of poison in her tone.

Reading his face, she could see he was about to speak when she intervened again.

"And," she continued, enjoying the relief of letting go of her pent-up frustration. "I'm sure I've seen you once or twice standing in a corner laughing once the deed was done. So, innocent? I think not."

Looking at his face, she could see that he was deep in thought. Glancing towards her untouched food, she made a move to get up, breaking Finn from his trance.

"Perhaps this wasn't the best idea Finn. Thank you for the burger but I think it would be a good idea if I just left." Standing up, she brushed out the front of her t-shirt and turned on her heel. Before she could take a step though, his voice cut through the quiet nights' air.

"No!" Rachel, taken off guard by his strong objection to her departure, turned around to face him. "I mean, I would like for you stay Rach. Yes, I've been less than a gentleman to you for a while and I'm truly sorry," Standing to meet her, he reached out to place a hand on her arm, eventually finding her forearm. Placing a firm but gentle grip on her arm caused her to break away from his face and down to the sudden and unanticipated contact. "But, I would like to turn a new leaf on our past and start again." He paused momentarily as if he were weighing up his next words. "Maybe even, heaven forbid, we could be friends again?"

Her gaze still focused on his hand on her arm, she felt her stomach tighten. Swallowing a thick gulp, she released the breath she did not know she was holding.

After realising the distraction the contact had caused, he removed his had from her arm. The trance was broken, Rachel looked up to Finn. His soft facial expressions show a look of confusion towards her strange behaviour.

Checking herself, she began to think. _What the hell am I doing? Since when do you get all gooey over a guy Rachel?_ She asked herself, not sure about the answer she might get back.

Suddenly shivering, Rachel looked around. The once inviting evening's sky had since been replaced by darkness. Looking skyward, she observed the stars shining brightly in the clear sky.

For what seemed like the millionth time, Rachel was caught up in her own thoughts, oblivious to her surroundings, as Finn sat with a quizzical look painted over his soft complexion. Seemingly spotting her shivers, Finn whipped off his hoodie and handed it to her, the action bringing her rushing back to earth.

"Here, put this on and come inside Rach. It's getting cold out here and I wouldn't want to be responsible for getting you sick! I'd probably never hear the end of it."

Looking down at his outreached hand, she studied the piece of worn clothing. Maroon in colour, it was obviously several sizes larger than herself. Taking the object from him, she positioned it above herself, enabling her to slide into it. Guiding the oversized hoodie to her head with ease, the feeling of the fabric as it made contact with her skin reminded her of her favourite Mulberry silk scarf she'd gotten for Christmas a few years ago. With her face no longer in view, she closed her eyes to revel in the softness of the fabric, if only for a second. Continuing, she pulled at the hoodie in a downwards fashion over her slim frame, until gravity took over and the forces completed the job. Now adorned in an item of clothing too big for her, she instantly felt warmer as the residual heat from Finn's body began to merge with her own. Reaching behind her, she moved her hand to grab her hair and in one, swift motion, had it gently resting on her back.

"What?" She asked incredulously, noticing that he was staring at her. "Finn, It's rude to stare…" She said, moving her gaze to the ground, trying to escape from the brown eyes piercing into her very being. Her cheeks began to fill, and her skin warm.

"Now that I'm standing here, with you," He said as he moved towards her, closing the already small distance between the pair. "I've just noticed how incredibly beautiful you are Rachel."

Her head snapped back up, needing to see his face. The distance between the pair was almost non-existent as their bodies pressed against one another.

"What?" She asked again, this time bearly audibly. Their eyes locked onto one another, she was completely paralysed in the moment. The space between them began to shrink yet again as if they had their own gravitational pull towards each other. He reached out and placed a hand on her cheek.

"What are you doing Finn?" Just managing to finish what she was saying before she was silenced by his lips crashing into hers.

The soft rise and fall of the body next to her began to pull her back to sleep. But just before she could be taken to the depths of sleep, her eyes shot open. Taking in the surroundings, she could see that she was in Finn's bedroom. The sound of the TV playing softly in front of her. Blinking a few more times, she thought she might have still been asleep as she realised that next to her lay Finn, fast asleep with his legs stretched out on the sofa they were occupying. Looking down, she saw a blanket covered the pair and a large hand lay atop her stomach. Looking back up towards his face, she discovered that she was buried into his side. _How the hell did this happen?_ She asked herself, having no recollection of how the pair had arrived at this position. A sense of security came over her as she felt the warmth emanating from the body next to her. She felt the strong, muscular arm around her tense for a few seconds before relaxing again. With her hand placed on his abdomen, she gently moved it across his chest. Feeling the rise and fall as he took his breathes. Through the thin fabric of his t-shirt, she could feel the defined muscles etched into his chest.

 _Rachel, what the_ _ **fuck**_ _are you doing right now?_ She asked herself. Her internal questioning brought her crashing back into reality. She was laying on a sofa curled up next to Finn… sleeping. The last thing she remembered was sitting on the sofa as he turned on the TV, opening a streaming service on the device. A thought popped into the forefront of her mind.

 _Rachel Barbra Berry, you_ _ **did not!**_ She screamed internally. Quickly lifting the blanket she saw that they were both still fully clothed. A small sigh of relief escaped her lips.

The sound caused the body beneath her to shift. Her eyes widened at the thought of him waking up and discovering this scene, their bodies entangled within one another. She had to get out and back into her own bed. After a moment of panic, the movements ceased.

Gently, she lifted the blanket, desperate not disturb him in any way. Thankful that she took ballet classes, she was able to wriggle her way out from under his gentle grasp without waking him. Now free, she looked down at him from her position. The peaceful look on his face brought a smile to her features, followed by that strange feeling growing in the pit of her stomach.

Leaning down, she grabbed the blanket and pulled it up to cover Finn's unconscious body. Pulling it all the way up to his chest, she found herself a hairs length from his face. Taking in all that had happened tonight, she bit her lower lip before placing a soft and gentle kiss on his cheek. Moving back a little, she again observed his face. With no sign of movement, she began to retreat into the darkness of his room, the only light source being the TV.

Placing a foot on the bottom step, she winced at the sound of the floorboards moving below her. Frozen still, she was sure she'd been discovered. After what felt like a lifetime, she heard no movement behind her so she elected to push forward, finally reaching the top of the stairs she made for the front door, grabbing her bag she'd left there previously.

Flinging the door open, she was about to step out of the house when she noticed someone standing in front of her.

"Kurt, I promise you that this is _not_ what you think it is." Her face pleading with him to believe her.

"It looks like you're sneaking out of my house after my dear step-brother had the place to himself for the weekend." Giving her a look that demanded shame, he continued with the tone similar to a parent scolding a child. "Tell me, where am I wrong with my assessment?"

"Okay, not that it's actually _any_ of your business, nothing happening between Finn and me." Placing her arms across her chest, she continued. "He invited me over for dinner and then we sat down to watch a movie. He fell asleep so I didn't want to wake him as I left." She finished, the irritation in her voice audible.

"Woah," Put his hands up in the air, he continued. "Put the claws away Rachel! I was only joking!" He began to awkwardly laugh.

Rolling her eyes, Rachel eased up in front of her friend. "Ugh, I'm sorry Kurt. It's your broth-"

" _Step_ -brother, Rachel. It's an important distinction." Kurt interrupted her.

"I'm trying to apologise to you here!" She only received a look and conceded to it, not willing to fight. " _Step-_ brother." Letting out an exasperated sigh, she eyed her friend. "Anyway, he winds me up and you caught me in the aftermath."

"What did he do this time? I'm telling you, he's an idiot… a lovable idiot! But still an idiot none the less.

"He's not an _idiot_ Kurt, that's not fair." The comment garnered a questioning brow from Kurt.

"Since when do you defend my step-brother's honour?"

"I'm not!" She protested. "I'm just saying, he's not an idiot."

"The lady doth protest too much, methinks."

"Ugh, whatever Kurt." Rolling her eyes again, she began to move past her friend.

"I'm on to you Berry!" He began to sing in a mocking tone. "Rachel and Finn, sitting in a tree. K-I-S-S-I-N-G!

With a fake smile plastered over her face, she turned to Kurt and raised her right hand to give him the middle finger. This only caused him to laugh again.

"Good night Rachel." He called out to her before crossing the threshold to the house she'd just fled from. Closing the door, Rachel was alone in the darkness.

Making it to her front door, she put the key in the door and was about to turn it when noticed the lights inside come on. _**Crap.**_ She thought to herself. Without another moment, the door flew open.

"Daddy!" She called, trying to put on the biggest smile she could.

"Don't 'Daddy' me Rachel Barbra Berry! Where have you been, young lady?"


End file.
